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Published On May 3, 2006
POLICY
Blood Count
The need for—and dearth of—one precious commodity.
2
Seconds that pass until another American needs a transfusion
4,500,000
Number of American lives saved each year by transfusions
48
Gallons of blood an American could donate if she began giving at age 17 and gave every 56 days until reaching age 76
5
Estimated annual percentage of eligible Americans who donate
500,000
Number of Americans who donated in the days following the September 11 attacks
29,000,000
Number of units of blood components transfused in 2001 (a single donation can be divided into plasma, platelets and red blood cells)
2
Times as likely heart patients are to die after a transfusion to treat blood loss or anemia as heart patients who do not receive a transfusion, possibly because of such problems as artery disease aggravated by the transfusion.
Dispatches
Measuring Blood With Light Some components of blood can be measured without a needle stick. Now an innovation in light-based methods could make even more of them visible.
Podcast: Mothers in Medicine Women are significant contributors to research, but their careers are often cut short when they have children. What can be done to remedy this gender disparity?
The Methadone Blind Spot Is the oldest treatment for opioid addictions being unjustly overlooked in the response to the current crisis?
The Coming of the Gene Switch The concept of circuitry, borrowed from computer technology, could make the next generation of gene therapies more flexible and powerful.
Why Doctors Must Solve the Suicide Problem As despair deaths reach historic levels in the United States, interventions at health care checkpoints may be the best way to bring them down.
Predicting Suicide Harvard psychology professor Matthew Nock has undertaken a large-scale study to understand why people take their own lives and find ways to assess those at risk.
Bumps in the Night A barrage of well-timed noises may, surprisingly, make for a more restful night’s sleep.
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